Georgia Department of Education
Curriculum/Instruction and Assessment Monthly Updates –January 21, 2015
To Access the Webinar
Please register for CIA Updates & Announcements for January 21, 2015 on Jan. 21, 2015 10:00 AM EST at:
To Access the Recorded Webinar File
All documents and the recorded webinar file will be posted on the Curriculum and Instruction webpage.
Please look on the right side at the bottom of the page under CIA Newsletter.
Curriculum and Instruction webpage link:
If you need assistance please contact:
Randall N. Lee ()
(404) 656-0476
Curriculum/Instruction and Assessment Monthly Updates
January 21, 2015
Contacts: Pam Smith, Director () or (404) 463-4141
Randall N. Lee, Program Specialist () or (404) 656-0476
Table of Contents
Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Cover Sheet
Table of Contents
State Board of Education Meeting Updates
Career, Technical & Agricultural Education (CTAE)
English Language Arts
ESOL
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Georgia Virtual School
Gifted Education
Health & Physical Education
Home School
JROTC
Library/Media
Mathematics
Math Science Partnership (MSP)
Migrant
Science
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM)
Social Studies
Special Education
World Languages and International Education
Alternative Education
Assessment
ACCEL
College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI)
College Readiness
Dual EnrollmentMove On When Ready (MOWR)
Early Intervention Program (EIP)
Jimmy Carter NHS Education Program
Learning Resources/Textbooks
Response to Intervention (RTI) and SST
Safe and Drug Free Schools
School Counselors
Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS)
Striving Readers Grant – Literacy
Parent Engagement Program
Announcements
State Board of Education Meeting Updates
Contact: Pam Smith ()
SUBJECT:
State Board of Education Approves Revisions to CCGPS in English Language Arts and Mathematics
The State Board of Education approved the revisions to the CCGPS in English Language Arts and Mathematics on January 15, 2015.
The standards were revised based on a formal review and evaluation process, as directed by an executive order from Governor Nathan Deal. That process included several survey opportunities, along with legislative and State Board of Education listening sessions. Finally, the public was invited to comment on the proposed revisions for 60 days following their proposal by the State Board.
“I am committed to ensuring the very best standards for our students, and the Governor and State Board of Education share that goal,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “The proposed revisions are a step in that direction. However, we must retain the authority to make changes to the standards, which we will do when educators tell us changes are necessary.”
As part of the review process, survey feedback was collected and analyzed by the University System of Georgia. A working committee representing Georgia public school teachers, post-secondary staff, parents, and instructional leaders made revisions to the standards based on public feedback and recommendations from survey results for standards with less than 90 percent approval. ELA and Mathematics Advisory Committees then reviewed the recommended changes and provided additional suggestions based on public feedback. Members of the public were then invited to comment on the proposed revisions for 60 days.
Some survey respondents, as well as the Academic Review Committee, felt that certain standards needed to also be emphasized in the teacher guidance documents developed by the Department of Education for each grade/course and subject. Recommendations will be included in communication, teacher and parent guidance documents, teacher, student, and parent resources, and teacher and administrator professional learning. Communication and resources will also include additional guidance for phonics instruction, cursive writing, literature and informational text, traditional computing methods, and the memorization of addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts.
______
High School Mathematics Courses Posted for Public Review and Comment
State School Superintendent Richard Woods today recommended that the State Board of Education post, for a 30-day public comment period, three new mathematics courses. Two courses (Algebra I and Geometry) offer a traditional/discrete course option to Georgia high schools, in addition to the integrated course option already available. If approved, high schools would be able to offer either integrated or traditional/discrete courses to students.
“This is one of the greatest challenges our students have faced in the last several years,” Superintendent Woods said. “I have heard from many parents and teachers who have great concerns about having only the integrated approach. Thanks to the cooperation and collaboration shown by the Governor’s office and State Board of Education on this issue, we are set to allow our schools to offer traditional/discrete or integrated math courses, and to finally address the challenges our individual students and teachers face at the high school level.”
Surveys conducted by the State Board of Education and Regional Educational Service Agencies found that many educators desired a choice between integrated and traditional/discrete math.
“We heard the voices of educators, parents, and students telling us they wanted a choice between integrated and traditional/discrete math in Georgia high schools,” State Board Chair Helen Rice said. “After receiving that feedback and examining the options available, we are prepared to offer these new courses for public comment, courses that are specific to the needs and responsive to the voices of Georgia students.”
In addition, a Foundations of Algebra course has been created to meet the academic needs of ninth grade students who may have significant gaps in their mathematics achievement as determined by the analysis of assessment and other student achievement data. Students eligible to enroll in the Foundations of Algebra course will be identified based on K-8 data analysis. Foundations of Algebra course completers will be able to earn one core unit of credit. District enrollment in the Foundations of Algebra course will be closely monitored to ensure that eligibility criteria are applied. Performance in subsequent courses following the Foundations of Algebra course will also be closely monitored. Funding will be utilized to develop resources and professional learning to support teachers in the implementation of all three of these courses and for differentiating instruction based on student need.
The three mathematics courses and surveys are posted for public review and comment from January 15, 2015, until Friday, February 13, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. EST. The draft standards and public feedback will be presented to the Georgia State Board of Education on February 19, 2015, for approval.
Use the following link for access to the Mathematics Standards and surveys for three following courses: Foundations of Algebra, Algebra I, and Geometry.
Please forward this information to your teachers, administrators, and stakeholders.
Thank you in advance for your review and feedback.
______
February 19, 2015 State Board of Education Meeting
The State Board of Education Rule 160-4-2-.20 LIST OF STATE-FUNDED K-8 SUBJECTS AND 9-12 COURSES FOR STUDENTS ENTERING NINTH GRADE IN 2008 AND SUBSEQUENT YEARS will be presented for approval to post for 30 days of public review and comment.
The list of State-funded courses is being amended for school year 2015-2016. Changes will include course clarifications, additions, and deletions. All K-8 subject and 9-12 course changes and additions will be included in the 2015-2016 IDA (3) Course Change Summary document. The list of State-funded courses is being amended for school year 2015-2016. Additions include discrete high school mathematics courses for Foundations of Algebra, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Pre-Calculus, along with courses for acceleration and support. Additional K-12 course numbers were provided for local district flexibility for innovative programs and dual enrollment, such as K-5 STEM Exploratory, K-5 Career Awareness, middle school Transition to High School, K-5 Social Skills, high school Tools for College Success, and dual enrollment course numbers in each content area and CTAE cluster for additional dual enrollment opportunities. Amendments include awarding two units of course credit for a CTAE course that includes embedded standards from an academic core subject area. Clarifications will include flexibility for course substitutions in the area of Computer Science.
Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE)
Contact: CTAE Director, David Turner ()
Farewell to the CTAE State Director
Starting January 2014, the CTAE State Director, David Turner will begin his new position as Principal of Towns County Middle School in Hiawassee, Georgia. Georgia CTAE will definitely miss the leadership and support that David has demonstrated over the past three years, but good wishes follow him as he takes on this new role as middle school principal.
New CTAE Courses
At the December 2014 State Board Meeting, the following CTAE courses were approved for adoption and will be ready for implementation in Fall 2015:
Manufacturing Career Cluster
Occupational Safety of Granite
Introduction to Granite
Applications in Granite Industry
Arts, Audio-Video Technology and Communications Career Cluster
Introduction to Digital Media
Principles and Concepts of Animation
Advanced Animation and Game and App Design
Animation Practicum-Capstone
Also, at the December 2014 State Board Meeting, the following CTAE courses were approved for 60 days of posting for public review:
Information Technology Career Cluster
Introduction to Cybersecurity
Advanced Cybersecurity
2nd Annual Georgia CTAE Teacher and Leader Job Fair
Georgia’s Pre-kindergarten through Grade 12 public, charter and IE2 school systems and schools and candidates for Career Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) teacher and leader positions are invited to participate in the 2015 Georgia CTAE Teacher and Leader Job Fair. The event will be held onSaturday, March 7, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at the William S. Hutchings Career Center, 2011 Riverside Drive, Macon Georgia 31204.
The Educator Workforce Development office in the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC) and the Career Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) division in the Georgia Department of Education (GDOE) are co-sponsors of the job event.
- No later than March 4, 2015, school employers may register at:
- Teacher and leader candidates may register by March 4, 2015 at:
CTAE Fields Include:
Agricultural Education, Architectural Drawing and Design, Automotive Service Technology, Aviation, Broadcast and Video Production, Business Education, Collision Repair, Construction (Carpentry, Electrical, Masonry, Plumbing and Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration (HVACR), Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Electronic Technology, Family & Consumer Science, Granite Technology, Graphic Communications & Design, Healthcare Science Technology Education, Information Technology, Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (JROTC), Manufacturing and Engineering Sciences, Marketing Education, Precision Machine Technology, Public Safety, Sheet Metal, Technology Education, Telecommunications, Welding Technology.
English Language Arts (ELA)
Contact: Carolyn Waters () or 404-463-1933
Stephanie Sanders () or 404-657-9811
Proposed Revisions to English Language Arts Standards approved by SBOE:
Please convey our thanks to all educators who took the time to respond to the surveys. Please be assured that all comments were read and taken into consideration as we worked through this arduous process.
Next Steps: Now, the real work begins as the English Language Arts/Literacy division begins the process of revising the Teacher Guidance Documents that answer the call for “clarity” and simple illustrations of what is intended by each standard. Please watch for a call for teachers to help with this task so that new resources will be available to teachers before the implementation of revised CCGPS standards roll into the classrooms. Remember: NOTHING CHANGES FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR. The Milestones Tests, that will be administered in the spring, are aligned with the existing CCGPS.
ELA Summer Academies 2015:
Exciting new opportunities are being planned to reprise Summer Academies. This summer, we will have much work to do with teachers to prepare them for the next academic year 2015 – 2016. The theme this year will be “Teachers: Building Strong Foundations for the Future.” Briefly, the plan includes eight (8) Summer Academies across the state and will build foundational skills for Reading and Writing, K-12. We are ever mindful of the needs of our teachers to be prepared for the most challenging new standards, especially those that will be assessed by the Milestones Tests. Our plans will be announced as soon as the budget has been approved. Please let your teachers know that critical professional learning will be available in June and July, 2015!
We will continue the work we have already begun:
ELA Triathlon, a three-phase strategic design to prepare for “Rigorous Academic Writing.”
- Phase I includes instruction to promote and build sustainability for rigorous writing by using the process embedded in the DBQ/LBQ Project (Document Based Questions/Literary Based Questions). This process empowers teachers to prepare students for rigorous academic writing.
- Phase II will include a deep understanding of Foundational Literacy Skills for “Learning Progressions” enabling teachers to more tightly align standards K-12 and invest students with the power to understand their own learning progression.
- Phase III includes a close examination of performance-based tasks for the purpose of giving students grade-level appropriate, scaffold opportunities to demonstrate their ability to analyze and synthesize information.
The goal? Rigorous Academic Writing that evinces student learning and enhances student achievement.
We continue to partner with our RESA ELA Specialists and the ELA Advisory Council to assess the needs of our teachers and to evaluate the resources we have in order to support new initiatives to improve instruction. Please urge your teachers to sign up for our ListServ (links appear below) so that they can get copies of The ELA Reporter and other important links to instructional strategies, professional research, updates, videos, and other valuable information.
Available ELA Resources:
ELA Program Webpage at:
CCGPS ELA Resources and Professional Learning Opportunities at:
Content Literacy Resources and Professional Learning Opportunities at:
Wikis:
High School Wiki:
Middle School Wiki:
Elementary School Wiki:
Twitter: @gadoeela
Subscribe to our newsletter at:
ELA K-5 /ELA 6-8 /
ELA 9-12 /
ELA District Support /
ELA Administrators /
INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES
Teacher Guidance Documents – Valuable information for teachers can be found in these documents, including a standard-by-standard explanation of how to teach the skills required for mastery; academic vocabulary and performance tasks are suggested for students to be able to demonstrate mastery or progress. After the “revised standards” are approved, the ELA staff will be asking for teachers to review and revise the Guidance Documents for inclusion in our new Georgia Standards.
ELA Sample Unit Frameworks – The Unit One sample framework of instructional material from each grade level has been upgraded based on the feedback received from users and the parameters of the Tri-State Rubric for Common Core unit planning. Resources connected to the units have not changed. The revised units have been posted on the Wikis (see links above). These units are for exemplar purposes only. Implementation at the local level is entirely optional. The units that were created are made available in editable format so that texts and lessons may be replaced or substituted if desired. Revised and/or new original sample units of instruction are presently posted on the wikis.
ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
Literacy Design Collaborative - The GaDOE trained over a hundred teachers on Literacy Design Collaborative ( in Savannah, GA last spring, and sessions were again offered to teachers at the Summer Academies, 2014. Contact your local RESA for additional training opportunities. This resource provides sample, teacher-created units and lessons for all grade levels and follow strict design models and rubrics.
Webcasts - The Common Core Tools Webcasts are still available for viewing on our GSO landing page (see link above). These webcasts feature Georgia educators from all grade levels discussing their instructional strategies and feature authentic student work along with all resources necessary to implement the lessons discussed. The webcasts can be watched at the viewer’s convenience and each features 5-8 short videos that can split into shorter sessions as desired.
ESOL/Title III
Contact: Cori Alston () or Carol Johnson ()
The 14th Annual Kennesaw State University ESOL Conference will be held February 3-5, 2015, at the KSU Continuing Education Center. Tuesday, February 3, the conference will focus on Middle/High School, while Wednesday and Thursday, February 4 and 5, the conference focus on Elementary School. Registration is open, but filling quickly. Please visit the conference website ( for registration and additional information regarding the conference.
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL)